1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable air conditioner.
2. Related Art
Air conditioners are generally installed in an indoor space or on a wall of vehicles, offices, or homes to cool or heat the indoor space. Air conditioners generally include components such as a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger. Air conditioners implement a refrigerating cycle or a heat pump cycle in which a refrigerant flows in a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve (capillary), and an indoor heat exchanger.
One type of air conditioner is a portable air conditioner, such as disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2006-0026757. A portable air conditioner is typically installed in a location where it is difficult to install a separation type air conditioner (which includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit). The portable air has a condenser and an evaporator are installed in a main body thereof, and is used only for performing cooling. The portable air conditioner may also have wheels so that it can be moved to a desirable location.
Using a conventional portable air conditioner, air heat-exchanged with the evaporator is discharged to an indoor area to cool indoor air, and air heat-exchanged with the condenser is discharged outwardly through an exhaust pipe. To this end, the portable air conditioner has the exhaust pipe guiding air heat-exchanged with the condenser to the outside.
Conventional portable air conditioners have an exhaust pipe that is detachably attached to the main body. The exhaust pipe is coupled to the main body only when used, and when the exhaust pipe is not in use, the exhaust pipe must be separated from the main body and stored in an extra space of the main body. Such configuration is problem some.
For example, conventional portable air conditioners require an extra receiving space to store the exhaust pipe. Also, because the exhaust pipe is detachably attached, additional assembly components (e.g., bolt, screw, etc.) are required for attaching and detaching the exhaust pipe. These assembly components may be lost or misplaced. Additionally, the exhaust pipe is very weak for a high load and thus frequently damaged (e.g., bent or broken during a storage process). Moreover, conventional portable air conditioners are sold in a state in which the exhaust pipe and the man body are separately packaged, thus increasing a volume of the product and transportation cost.